The ubiquitousness of social networking sites for the younger set--who hasn't heard of MySpace and Facebook?--has inspired a rash of genealogical versions.
A few:
FamilyLink, the most recent of the bunch, comes from MyFamily.com founder Paul Allen and the team at his new venture, WorldVitalRecords. FamilyLink is still in beta testing, but so far you can create a profile (complete with your photo) that lists cities where you're researching, then connect with other genealogists interested in that area. A family tree feature is on the way.
Geni, created by the founders of such esteemed sites as eBay and Yahoo! Groups, may have beat FamilyLink to the launchpad, but it also gave Allen's team a chance to differentiate their site.
Geni's research focus appears to be softer, with greater emphasis on adding family names to trees. The site is testing a GEDCOM export that includes the names and relationships of people related by blood (plus spouses and their blood relatives).
WeRelate started as a genealogy Web search engine and wiki with entries for resources and places. Now it's buoyed by a partnership with the Allen County Public Library genealogy department and billed as an online community. WeRelate registered users can create pages for their ancestors and use the online Family Tree Builder application.
SharedTree is a wiki that functions as an online family tree program multiple researchers can use and update. The site says its open source and open content policy (meaning no one owns the code or the content, so anyone can use it) is revolutionizing the genealogy industry.
Look in upcoming Family Tree Magazines for a guide to how you can use these and other social networking sites to your research advantage.
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Reprinted with permission from Family Tree Magazine Email Update, copyright 2007 F+W Publications Inc.
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